Striving for Simplicity

Thanks Skinny laMinx for reminding me about the free WPA-style poster downloads at ReadyMade. When I got my issue I loved this article and wanted to download this poster. Then I forgot because I read the magazine at the kitchen table and not at my computer and I can't keep anything in my brain for more than five minutes.

Then there was the image right there on the Skinny laMinx blog and I remembered it again. This time I WAS at my computer, so now the download is printed out and on my desk, ready to hang up and remind me every day that I'm striving for simplicity. HOW I'm doing that is a whole other post. It's kind of important to me so I'm still letting my thoughts percolate before I post it, but it's a big part of an embroidered piece I'm working on now so it's on my mind a lot.

Want some more free art? Besides the great posters on ReadyMade there is a new project called Feed Your Soul over at Indie Fixx. Check it out.

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Commander Riker sells...something

Oh man do I love YouTube.

Courtesy of my friend Brian comes this VERY odd sales video from the days when Star Trek: The Next Generation was on TV. The video is just sales-computers-go-boom nonsense until around 1:45, when Commander Riker appears on this guy's computer, telling him all about "Enterprise Systems Software," which can make his soul-sucking job much more efficient. It's weirdly mesmerizing.

I particularly like not so smooth opening line from Riker: "No Harold, it's not Star Trek: The Next Generation; it's the next generation of information systems management."

My other favorite moment: around 5:01 Riker tells this schlump, "Doing more with less will be your constant challenge in the coming years. The answer: Enterprise Automation." Doing more with less! I heard a great piece on NPR the other day about this ubiquitous and fatuous phrase, and here is Riker saying it back in 1993! Priceless.

I'll bet Starfleet never told its captains to "do more with less." Well, unless it was after half the fleet was wiped out in the Borg invasion.

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Recipe: Best French Toast Ever

OK - I make really good French toast. Jo an I have been taking turns choosing the dinner menu every night and last night she picked French toast and fruit. So I thought I'd share my recipe.

Best French Toast Ever

3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
zest of one orange
two dashes of cinnamon
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 slices bread (I use whole wheat)

Mix up everything except the bread. Soak the bread until it's totally soggy with the egg mixture. Fry the slices up in some butter. Top with more butter and syrup and enjoy! We ate ours with orange sections (from the zested orange) and some kiwi on the side.

The orange zest is what makes it really awesome.

I have a studio day today so I'll be refinishing the desk that will hold my sewing machine (yay! sewing again!), getting caught up on email (ooh - awful backlog), and - hopefully - make some stuff.

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SLJ on The Brooklyn Nine

While I was traveling last week, editor Liz sent me this great review of The Brooklyn Nine from School Library Journal:

In loosely connected chapters, Gratz examines how one Brooklyn family is affected by the game of baseball. Ten-year-old German immigrant Felix Schneider arrives in America in the mid-19th century and uses his speed to good advantage both on the ball field and as a runner delivering the goods his uncle, a cloth cutter, produces. His fortunes and his family’s take a turn for the worse, however, when his legs are badly injured in the great Manhattan fire of 1845 (where he encounters volunteer firefighter Alexander Cartwright, the father of modern baseball). Subsequent “innings” deal with Felix’s son, Louis, who has compassion for a Confederate soldier because of their shared love of baseball; Walter Snider, a Brooklyn Superbas batboy who secures a tryout for legendary Negro Leagues star Cyclone Joe Williams and discovers the ugliness of anti-Semitism and racial prejudice; and Jimmy Flint, a 10-year-old in 1957, who worries about the class bully, Sputnik, nuclear annihilation–and the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn. Curiously, the author passes over the team’s glory years from the late 1940s to the mid-’50s. For the working-class Schneider/Snider family, baseball is an important part of their history, but it does little to mitigate the gritty reality of their lives. Economic uncertainty, prejudice, and the threat of violence are ever-present concerns, and the accurate, tough-minded depiction of these issues is the novel’s greatest strength.–Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT

Thanks, Richard, and thanks School Library Journal!

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WIP Wednesday

Time for another Wednesday update. I realized I never posted the finished (stretched and mounted) Twitter #1. Here he is. . .

I'm trying to see about getting prints made but so far I've been unhappy with the quality. I'll keep you posted.

Last night I finished the stitching on Twitter #2. It's called Be Mine and it's really got me wishing for Spring.

It's still wrinkled with the hoop marks in it, but I'll get it pressed, blocked, and stretched on a frame tomorrow. You can click on either picture to see them bigger.

I started a new work last night - a sampler, of sorts. But since all I did was get the pattern marked, the thread selected, and part of one letter stitched, there's not really anything to show yet. I've been tweeting daily updates, linking to pictures on Flickr. If you want to follow along, just click follow on my Twitter page. I also post links to recipes for what I'm cooking for dinner. . .

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The Project Runway Season Six Finale - After

You're reading part three of my coverage of the Project Runway Season Six Finale. To read from the beginning, click here.

After the runway shows were over and Tim and Heidi had said their farewells, there was a mad rush for the runway.

I waited out some of the initial crush, and was able to get closer to some former Project Runway designers and even say hello to a few of them.

Like Chris March, one of my dad's favorites.

And Blayne Walsh, who drove everyone nuts on the show by adding "-licious" to every other word, but who earned our respect here at Gratz Industries for the way he went out on his own terms with his head held high.

And Kenley Collins, who was eager to show off her new engagement ring.

And one of our all-time favorites here at Gratz Industries, gentleman Jerrell Scott, who graciously had his picture made with me.

This year there was no designer scheduled immediately after the Project Runway show, but after a while they still shooed us all out--otherwise we might have stayed all day. I had a date with the Blogging Project Runway crew anyway--they had generously offered to treat a few of their fellow bloggers--and any former contestants who wanted to show up--to brunch at the Roosevelt Hotel.

To my great surprise, the smattering of bloggers was easily outnumbered by former Project Runway designers! Joe Faris, Kenley Collins, Blayne Walsh, Malan Breton, Jerell Scott, Stella Zotis, and Jennifer Diederich were all there--and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few more. More than one designer called it an unofficial "Project Runway Reunion," and it certainly felt that way, particularly for contestants from the last couple of seasons.

I had the distinct pleasure of sitting at the same four-top table as Blayne Walsh and Malan Breton, both of whom I was meeting for the first time. It should surprise no one that both of these former Project Runway stars were terrific, down-to-earth people. They answered my questions about the show and their respective careers with grace and patience, and in the space of a half an hour I came to understand how these were real people, not reality show contestants. That's so difficult to remember when seeing someone on television. They are, after all, on TV--they are "stars," if only for their fifteen minutes of fame--but chatting with Blayne and Malan over pancakes and bacon made it clear to me that those fifteen minutes of fame are highly artificial, carefully orchestrated, and often grossly unfair distillations of their true characters.

They call it "reality telelvision," but in fact the lives these designers lead during the filming is anything but realistic. It is, in fact, surrealistic. They are awakened in the wee hours of the morning and dragged off to a challenge, which they often work on until midnight or one in the morning, and along the way they cannot leave or have any unscripted interaction with the outside world. The next day, they may be asked to wear the same clothes as the day before (for the purposes of filming), and then change clothes in the middle of the day to pretend they are starting anew. Just two hours before they are to send a garment down the runway, when they are madly trying to finish their work on time, they may be plucked out of the workroom for interviews behind the scenes, and the snippets we see come from hours upon hours of endless questions and answers in front of the camera. They are never awake when cameras are not on them, never alone for the weeks they shoot the show, and they are tired and ragged and mentally drained. That they can get themselves up in the mornings--let alone face the challenges the producers throw at them with any measure of true creativity and skill--is a wonder in and of itself.

If I learned anything from this experience, it is that I must see these people not as TV personalities, but as real people--people who may be very different in real life than the way they are presented through heavily edited television. I still think that their true characters can be bourne out over time on the show, but particularly in a case like Malan Breton, who was vilified before and during his brief appearance on the show but who, in reality, is a perfect gentleman, a gifted designer, and a beautiful human being, I as a blogger and commentator need to remember that all is not as it appears through the magical window of the television.

Very special thanks to the great folks at Blogging Project Runway for this opportunity, and to all the former Project Runway designers who helped make my two days at Fashion Week so incredibly memorable. Cheers, and much continued success to you all!

Previous related posts:

Leanne Marshall's show and Jay McCarroll's movie party
The Project Runway Season Six Finale - Before
The Project Runway Season Six Finale - During

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The Project Runway Season Six Finale - During

If you're just tuning in, this is part two of my report on the Project Runway Season Six Finale. You can read part one here. And as a WARNING: SPOLIER IMAGES FOLLOW. If you don't want to see images from the three final runway collections, or if you don't want to know who the finale guest judge is, skip ahead to part three of my coverage - After the Show.

Heidi stepped from behind the scrim looking fantastic (of course) in the full spotlight. (And yes, I took all these pictures from my seat!)

Heidi welcomed us to the finale, apologizing that the show was "in a little bit of a limbo." True dat, Frau Seal. To say that Season Six is in limbo is putting it mildly--an unscientific poll of many Project Runway fans I talked to revealed serious doubts that this season will ever make it to television. Which is a crying shame not for the fans but for the three designers whose anonymous work we were about to see--a sentiment expressed by Heidi before the show, and by Tim Gunn again afterward.

But the Bryant Park show would go on, regardless, and it was time to introduce the judges. Heidi's favorite fashion designer, Micheal Kors...

THE Nina Garcia (who is unbelievably slender and stylish in person)...

And finally, the guest judge for this season's finale...Suzy Menkes. Whose name was met, at least in my local area, with a resounding, "Who?" Wikipedia says that she has been the head fashion reporter and an editor for the International Herald Tribune since 1988, and has written several books, particularly about British Royal style. Her work in fashion has also earned her the Legion d'Honneur in France and a British OBE.

Ms. Menkes certainly is an influential and impressive figure in the fashion profession, and I'm sure she'll be a terrific judge. But I know I speak for many of the people around me when I say I expected a household celebrity name (ala Victoria Beckham) to be sitting in that chair. Each year, with the exception of Season Three's Fern Mallis (who is and was terrific), the finale guest judge has been a fashionable celebrity, and each year that star has been bigger and brighter than the last: Parker Posey, then Debra Messing, then Victoria Beckham, and then, until she backed out at the last moment last year, Jennifer Lopez. (Her last-minute replacement was Tim Gunn himself.) Rumors of other huge stars taking that spot were rampant this year, so to have Ms. Menkes announced as the guest judge was a bit of a head-scratcher. Perhaps indicative of the show's limbo status? Let the debate begin.

In the meantime, let the show begin! Here's the very first look from the very first designer to show. I won't show every look here, as I couldn't possibly snap all of them, and because the professionals at the end of the runway were already doing a far better job. To see all three of the lines in their entireties, head over to Blogging Project Runway, where they have links to professional images.

The judges watched each of the looks, sometimes making notes and sometimes chatting with each other and those sitting around them.

This was the final look--and model--in the first runway show. A possible Project Runway model? For the first few seasons, the designers models from the regular season were often featured as the last models down the runway, although that has changed recently. This model was certainly gorgeous, and to my untrained eye really owned the runway. I can only imagine that if she's a model on the show she's one of the models people fight over.

The first runway show marches out together for a last look and a round of applause.

And the first runway show makes the turn at the end of the runway.

Here's a look from the second collection.

And here's Project Runway vet and Blogging Project Runway model correspondent Amanda Fields, working the runway for the second designer. I heard a number of people favorably compare this line to the work of previous contestants Rami Kashou and Santino Rice.

It certainly got the judges talking.

The second designer's looks parade down the runway.

And make the turn.

The third designer's work certainly stood out, featuring archer-style hats that brought to mind Jillian Lewis's flirtation with ancient military fashion. Much of this line was done in black, so the detail was hard to see from a distance without a good zoom lens. I look forward to seeing it close up on television.

Like the first runway show, this designer incorporated a lot of long-sleeved knit tops.

Including this hoodie. In some ways, this line is reminiscent to me of some of Jay McCarroll's finale runway show. Am I alone in that, or do others see it?

A shorter-sleeved knit top.

This collection caused much discussion among the judges too--and more than a few smiles. But were they laughing with the designer, or at him/her? Time will tell.

And the third and final designer watches the line go down the runway for the last time. It truly is a shame that these talented, creative people had to put so much effort into their lines and couldn't publicly enjoy the support of their friends, family, and fans. I can only imagine they were in the back, watching on monitors, trying to remember to breathe. I can tell them right now, I loved the show, and I was impressed with all three lines. I have my favorite overall line, and my favorite looks, but I think all three proved themselves to be very talented and professional.

And then Tim Gunn came out! Yay! Looking smart as usual, Tim invited Heidi up with him, and expressed many of the same sentiments that I just expressed--that it was a real shame that these talented designers had to show their work in anonymity. He expressed his hope that the show would go on, and that the world would finally get to meet the people behind these fabulous lines.

It was all hugs and kisses after that, and Tim and the judges were whisked away to join the unnamed designers for the final judging at Parson's! The show ended, the lights came up, and everyone made a mad dash to the runway floor to try to hobknob with the stars...

Continue on to part three of my finale coverage: The Project Runway Season Six Finale - After.

Previous posts:

Leanne Marshall's show and Jay McCarroll's movie party
The Project Runway Season Six Finale - Before

Read more...

The Project Runway Season Six Finale - Before

Field reporter Alan Gratz here, coming to you live (in pictures, at least) from the Project Runway Season Six Finale in the tents at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Bryant Park, Friday, February 20th. See? Here's my invitation to prove it--

A little bent and the worse for wear, but still legit. I lined up outside the tent around 8:15 a.m. the morning of the show, after a restless night's sleep where I awoke every thirty minutes for the last three hours worried that I had missed my alarm. I was kind of excited. And as this was really the sole reason I had flown to New York and paid for two nights in a hotel, it would pretty much suck if I overslept.

Once inside we had a brief, brisk walk to another line, where those with invitations but no seat assignments queued up again, and those of us who already had both shot on past. I got a couple of quick shots of the "lobby" area on the way by, knowing that I would have time after the show to come back and linger. The biggest displays were for Mercedes-Benz cars (natch) and for Barbie, a fashion icon celebrating her 50th anniversary. Each of those letters was lined with Barbie dolls:

A bit eerie, isn't it? There was also a TRESemme salon, in case you needed a quick coif or a makeover before the show. There isn't much that can be done for me, alas, so I took a pass.

Inside, the tent passageways were broad and spacious--which was good, because soon we were going to be packing into them like sheep in a corral. This shot and the last are a little blurry, as they were taken in motion. I had an assigned seat, but I wanted to get inside the big tent as soon as I could for more stationary photographing. As I stood in line, mere yards away from the Bryant Park runway and mere minutes away from the Project Runway finale show, I marveled again at what a charmed life I have lived.

I was close to the front of the crowd waiting to get inside, so I could see the entrance to the tent, which is, in the fashion business, known creatively as "The Tent."

For the most part, the beautiful and famous used some sort of secret back entrance to The Tent, but I did see Chris March go in through the front door. He must have been lost.

Inside, The Tent was surprisingly smaller than I thought it would be. On TV it looks cavernous, but it is, in fact, smaller than most high school gymnasiums. That makes sense though. Take a high school gym with one set of bleachers on each side and then replace the basketball court with a runway about three yards wide, and you've pretty much got the inside of The Tent.

My seat was in the very back row in the very back corner of the runway where the models vogue and turn, but given the smallish venue there really didn't look to be a bad seat in the house. I was just glad to be inside! I sat with other folks who had won their tickets from the amazingly generous people at Blogging Project Runway, and we all spent the remaining minutes before the show celebrity-spotting and picture-snapping. I saw more people than I was able to get pictures of, but I got a few clear shots here and there...

Like Joe Faris...

Jack Mackenroth...

...and Christian Siriano, who was almost always mobbed. I can't believe I got a shot of him without twenty people standing in the way.

Closer to showtime, Heidi, Micheal, and Nina swept down the runway like royalty, and soon the flashbulbs found them--

This is my favorite shot, I think, even though it's blurry. It really captures the frenzy and the energy of the room.

The trio made their way down the runway to the bank of professional photographers and did their time in front of the cameras. It was as entertaining to hear as it was to see--the photographers are all trying to get a perfect shot with the three stars looking right at them, so they continually called out their names and begged them to look this way or that.

When the pictures were finished Heidi dropped Michael and Nina back at their seats and went backstage again so she could come out for the video cameras when the show began to tape. Everyone was asked to take their seats, and there was a little more time for celebrity-watching...

Gretta Monahan, co-host of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, chats with Fashion Week director Fern Mallis.

And, love him or hate him, Bob Weinstein (in the blue shirt and glasses), whose company co-produces Project Runway and is currently in a legal battle over the rights to the show with NBC/Bravo.

Then the lights went down, a hush fell over the audience, and Heidi's silhouette appeared behind the Project Runway scrim...

Continue on to part two: The Project Runway Season Six Finale - During!

Previous related posts:

Leanne Marshall's show and Jay McCarroll's movie party

Read more...